Fix You

9

"They had already been in love when I met them" Chan says with a sad smile, he looks at Minho's flushed cheeks, wondering if it's from the alcohol or the crying.

Minho lays his head on the couch, he stares at Chan attentive.

"Um..." Chan looks down and chuckles, what a joke "they are, such a magnificent person you know? So beautiful and breath taking, but it's not what made me fall"

Minho can see the love in his friend's eyes, he wonders who manage to cut through all the layer of self-defense that Chan had put up and made their home in his heart.

Must be someone incredible to make the man turn into mush when talking about them.

"But, beauty isn't all they got, they have brains too, taking up two careers just for the sake of his family,"

Minho is impressed, he knows from personal experience that taking two careers at the same time is tiring, exhausting and time consuming.

"They manage to always put on a smile even after sadness has taken over their heart, I've seen them hurt, seen them happy, seen them struggle, but they always make it out stronger"

Chan chuckles as he thinks "and I always wanted to tell them, tell them how much I yearned to be just...just close, close enough to smell their perfume" his eyes turn dreamy.

Minho can't help but feel a bit envious of the person his friend loves, how can someone love so much and keep it to themselves!?

Love in silence, love deeply but hard.

It's the type of love Minho thought he had.

"I mean, it's all I could get, be close to touching but never be allowed to touch" Chan whispers sadly.

"Why didn't you tell them?" Minho asks.

Chan looks up at Minho, he smiles sadly "because I know where I stand, they would never, in a million years, love me" a small tear escapes his eye.

Minho feels a thug at his heart, he cleans the falling tear "Chan hyung, what is there to not love about you?"

Chan can't breathe, he wishes Minho didn't touch him, yet he can't help but lean onto the palm.

"It's just not meant to be"

*
Minho sits at his desk, staring out, he's supposed to be grading paper but the sight of his students playing outside and laughing keeps him distracted.

He likes that they smile and laugh, he likes that even for a split second they can forget about their problems outside of school.

"OPPA'!" Alex screams happily as she runs in, two boys following quick behind.

Minho smiles at then and puts his pen down "what's up?" He asks.

Alex and the two boys smile big at him, showing mischief in their eyes.

"What will you be giving Chan for his birthday!?" Nam asks with his usual happy tone, Minho has noticed how contagious it is.

"I'm not sure yet," he says with a smile.

Alex's eyes go wide; she sighs in frustration "ah! Come on oppa'!" She says.

Minho moves back, an angry Alex is a scary Alex.

"You've got to have something! Homemade dinner! An outing to the cliff at night and see the stars!! A movie date-"

"Whoa!" Minho chuckles "Alex, he's my friend not my boyfriend" he declares.

Nam rolls his eyes but turns to the side so that no one sees it, Minho hyung is frustrating sometimes.!

The girl, however, only smiles and giggles for a while, causing the older man to move even further back.